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Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Day 9: Dong Le to Dong Hoi

The sun is beginning to shine!

Granted, it comes in flashes and barely shows itself through the blanket of cloud in the sky, but clearly it's there somewhere. I wouldn't really go so far as to call it "sunny," but maybe "less cloudy" will do.

Day 9 saw Team H2H move closer to Hue with a 100-kilometre ride from Dong Le into Dong Hoi, our second and last beach stay. It was another ride of rice paddies and rivers, cows walking too slow across the road, and children, fickle creatures who are either dying to say hello or plotting ways to separate you from your bicycle at 40km/hr.

Though no one was in danger of getting sunburned, the weather did warm up a bit, and by the time we reached the unsuspecting The Anh Supermarket in Dong Hoi, our spirits were lifted: Day 9 was complete, we'd ridden 700 kilometres to date, and "Dancing Queen," the Abba classic (favourite band of our driver, Mr. Cuong), was playing. So, naturally, we bought fistfuls of fish-shaped ice cream, moved to the parking lot, and announced ourselves to the people of Dong Hoi. If our dance moves were any indication, we blew their minds.

What H2H Is

H2H - Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City - is a charity bicycle ride that first took place in 2009. It is organized by volunteers and the funds raised go towards Vietnamese organizations that work with poor and disadvantaged children. The ride lasts for a month, and takes place every April. If you'd like to learn more, contact h2h.ride@gmail.com.